Vandalic Kingdom

The Vandalic Kingdom was a Germanic kingdom in North Africa and the Mediterranean which existed from 435 to 534 AD, with Carthage serving as its capital. The Vandals were invited to the region by the Roman general Bonifacius who, when convicted of treason, chose to revolt instead of capitulate. However, the Vandals' journey from Hispania was long and, when they finally arrived, Bonifacius had regained the support of the Emperor and the court. Affronted by their flippant dismissal, the Vandals chose instead to attack. They captured Hippo Regius in 430 AD, before moving to establish themselves at Carthage in 435 AD. Geiseric, their leader, styled himself "King of the Vandals and Alans", expanding his new kingdom to Sicily, Corsica, and Sardinia, as well as securing his grip on Africa. Although the destruction of lands and religious persecution tied them to their barbarian roots, the Vandals developed a civilized air, becoming great patrons of architecture and learning. Centers of education blossomed across the continent, producing several great academic figures. Rome tried many times to retake its lost lands, but catastrophic naval defeats at Cartagena and Cape Bon forced the Empire to dismantle its plans for invasion, which strengthened the Vandals' position as the true power in Africa. As the line of Vandalic kings progressed, a more lenient attitude towards Catholicism developed. However, this caused religious friction that undermined the kingdom, leaving rifts of dissent at the far reaches of the Vandal lands. By 533 AD, they faced both a political quandary and a revitalised Roman invasion under Belisarius, who defeated them at Ad Decimum and conquered the Vandals in 534 AD. The remaining Vandals were shipped back to Constantinople to be absorbed into the imperial army, and they disappeared as a distinct ethnic unit.